A Dream and a Confession
by SouthernBelle31
Summary: Set after War Stories. Kaylee has a nightmare regarding the mission to save Mal and Wash from Niska. Kaylee talks to Simon about a few things on her mind.


Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, I just like to borrow them from Joss every so often and play with them.

* * *

_Metal...cold metal in my hands. I shouldn't be afraid...I handle metal everyday on _Serenity_. But this piece of metal feels so so final, not at all like my shiny toys. I miss my shiny toys. My big brother and Wash are in the hands of Niska, the crew is off saving them like heroes and here I am huddled behind the bay wall with bullets flying my way. I can't shoot this gun...what was I thinking? I ain't no Big Damn Hero like maybe Zoe or the Cap'n. I'm just a small girl wandering the 'Verse on Serenity fixin' what needs to be fixed. _

_Wait...is that River? What in the 'Verse is River doing here? Simon will be devastated if something happens to her. Grab the gun, Kaylee...Do it! All I can do is stare at River's eyes. So childlike, she looks almost gleeful, like we should be running in a field of daisies, playing tag. I hear myself cry out as a bullet hits the metal and clangs against the wall. My world is black! "Open your eyes!" I scream in my head. My eyes flutter open and I see River peeking around the corner, crouched down beside me. Before I can react she grabs the gun, stands up and whispers, " Can't look, can't look," and she turns her head towards the inside of the cargo bay and pulls the trigger. _

_Three bangs echo in my head, I cover my ears. It stops...I look up and there she is standing there with a huge grin on her face as she looks down at me. " No power in the 'Verse can stop me."_

* * *

A scream left Kaylee's mouth as she sat straight up in bed, beads of sweat furrowing her brow. She looked around her room to make sure no one had noticed or come running. Her legs swung over the edge of her bed and she began to take short, small breaths. Kaylee was used to these nightmares. They had been coming on a regular basis since rescuing Mal and Wash over two weeks ago. Kaylee threw her coveralls on, ran her fingers through her hair and headed up to the chow hall.

" Kaylee, are you alright?" Simon asked as he gently touched her shoulder. Kaylee looked up from her plate of protein and replied, " Everything is shiny!" and gave her trademark grin, hoping Simon would believe her. " Just checking...you looked a mite pale earlier. If you want I could give you a quick once over in the infirmary to make sure you aren't coming down with something."

Kaylee sighed. Normally she would have loved to have Simon give her the once over but not today. Not when she had secrets that didn't need telling. " Nope right as rain!" She replied and hurried to place another bite in her mouth. Simon stared at Kaylee for a moment before heading back to the passenger dorms to check on River.

_Clink, Clink, Bang._ Were the noises Mal heard as he headed towards the engine room where his Mei Mei would undoubtedly be fixin' something in _Serenity's_ engine. He hoped that telling her they would be making a stop on Osiris so Inara could meet with a client and she could run out and grab some parts she had been after Mal to purchase would cheer her up. She seemed sluggish and down as of late and Mal had every intention on figuring out what was bothering his genius mechanic.

When he entered the engine room he found Kaylee with her head inside some part he couldn't pronounce and cleared his throat to get her attention.

Kaylee popped her head out of the engine she was tweaking and came face to face with her Captain. " Oh, hey there Cap, something I can do you for?" She grinned. Mal returned the smile and stuck out his hand which had a small brown sack in it. " I stopped by to tell you Inara needs to head to Osiris to meet with a client of hers, so we'll be in port for a few days. I figure you could use this to buy those there parts you've been harassing me about." Kaylee broke into a huge grin " Well that's right shiny of you, Cap'n. I'll see what I can find lying about to get Ole _Serenity_ perked up like new!" Mal smiled, then nodded and headed out the door.

As Serenity pulled into port on Osiris, Kaylee juggled the coin bag in her hands. If she played her cards right, she should be able to get some great deals on the parts she needed, and maybe even splurge a little on a new dress to impress the Doc. So many shops with pretty dresses caught Kaylee's eye as she hurried down the streets juggling the parts for _Serenity_ in her arms. Just as she was about to give up hope of finding the perfect dress for what she was about to do, something caught her eye. Kaylee spun around, dropping the bag with the parts. There it was, the dress she hoped would make Simon forgive her for what she was about to tell him. She quickly picked up her bags and headed into the store.

That night, as everyone got ready for bed, Kaylee stood in front of her small mirror admiring herself. The new dress she bought was, of course, a floral pink pattern, but it clung to her every curve. The sleeves fell off the shoulders and the neckline just barely scooped above her cleavage line. The dress fell to just above her knees and tightened around her waist. With a quick brush of her hair she headed for Simon's room.

A knock at the door startled Simon from the research he was doing regarding River's condition. He placed his pen on the table and opened the door. His eyes widened as he realized just who was standing at his door. His eyes raked over her body as he noticed every curve, crevice and pale bit of flesh staring at him. " Kaylee...what...what...what...are you doing here?" he stammered.

Kaylee breathed in and followed with a sigh. " Simon ... We need to talk."


End file.
